Number, distribution and concentration of Australian veterinarians in 2006, compared with 1981, 1991 and 2001

Abstract

Progressively increasing numbers of veterinarians will compete for a constant or diminishing resource--the dogs and cats of Australia. It seems likely that overt signs of oversupply will appear before sufficient numbers of veterinarians enter alternative forms of employment.

Spatial and temporal evaluation of veterinarians and veterinary employers relative to human and domesticated animal populations in Australia 2002–2012

“…The review also found that growth nationally in the supply of veterinarians had exceeded the growth in the human population for some time and this trend was likely to continue. A subsequent analysis in 2006 confirmed these findings …”

“…Similarly, previous studies have indicated that companion animals are responsible for the bulk of veterinary practice income, with estimates ranging from 75% to 83%, and even represent the major source of income in most rural practices . It is likely that this reflects not only the amount spent per visit, but also the frequency with which companion animals are presented and the increased likelihood that they will be presented at all, relative to livestock.…”

The Challenges of Using Horses for Practical Teaching Purposes in Veterinary Programmes

“…The majority of veterinary students come from an urban background with little, or no, previous animal handling experience [10,11,12]. In one survey, 60% of veterinary science and veterinary nursing students were from cities, 12% from large towns 10% from towns or villages and only 18% were from rural areas [11].…”

News

“…With a private practice average salary of around AUD$67,000, it is also significantly worse than the North American average of USD$121,000. 3 Of even greater concern is that veterinary salaries have been decreasing compared with the Australian national average for the past 30 years 4 and graduates unable to find fulltime employment have doubled in the past five years. 5 The high incidence of stress and depression within the veterinary profession has recently been the subject of some research.…”

“…Wage trends, current veterinarian numbers and retraction of government veterinary employment, from 50% to 10% in the past 50 years, collectively refute such statements. 4,5,9 In one study, 92.4% of pre-veterinary and veterinary students wanted to work in general practice on graduation. 6 The stress of the pay rates and on-call hours are not recognised until after commencement of employment when some may consider nonpractice careers.…”